Biederman Playland Report on Feasibility of Private Operators Running Playland to Be Released, County Legislators Say. Playland Will Be Run by County this Summer.

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2013513-dragoncoaster

The Dragon Coaster Rides Again! Playland will continue to be run by Westchester County this summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WPCNR PLAYLAND-GO-ROUND. From the County Board of Legislators. April 2, 2015 (EDITED):

On Wednesday, Legislator Peter Harckham  (D) North Salem, Chair of the Board of Legislators (BOL) Labor, Parks, Planning and Housing Committee, (LPPH) announced, at a meeting of the committee, that Deputy County Executive, Kevin Plunkett would forward to the BOL, the report on operations at Playland Amusement Park that was produced by Consultant Dan Biederman of Biederman Redevelopment Ventures.

The report will be presented at a meeting of the LPPH Committee on or before April 15th at 9am.  Representatives of the County Executive and the Parks Department will appear at the committee meeting to discuss the future of Playland.

Following the Committee meeting, Legislator Harckham said,

“I’m hopeful that the Astorino administration’s agreement to finally share this report with the Legislative branch will be a major step forward in selecting an operator for Playland.  It is unfortunate that we will not have a private operator in place for the 2015 season but my colleagues and I on the Labor Parks Planning and Housing Committee look forward to getting to work on the approval process for a new operator as soon as the County Executive presents one to us.”

Harckham added, “We’ve waited more than four months for this report and while we’ve been told many times that we would be receiving the report imminently, I am confident that the administration’s willingness to give a specific date means they will deliver.  I look forward to discarding the subpoenas that we’ve drafted but until we’ve received Mr. Biederman’s report, all options remain on the table.”

Legislator Catherine Parker, a member of the LPPH Committee, represents the City of Rye where Playland is located.  Legislator Parker said,

“Many of my constituents, especially those who live near Playland, share the frustration of my colleagues and I at the lack of information on Playland’s future.  Previous proposals for things like a massive field house and the diminution of parking which would result have created serious concerns for local residents.  I hope that the plan we are currently awaiting from the Astorino administration allows for the involvement of not just the Board of Legislators but the City of Rye and Playland’s neighbors as well.”

The commitment from the Deputy County Executive forestalled a vote by the LPPH Committee to issue subpoenas to compel the administration to produce the document.

The report was commissioned by the County Executive at a cost of $100,000.  The Board of Legislators (BOL) Chairman, Michael Kaplowitz voted against the Biederman consulting contract at the County’s Board of Acquisition and Contracts.

In a meeting of the LPPH Committee in August, Mr. Biederman gave a date-range of mid to late November for delivery of his report to the County Executive.  The administration said they would share the report’s findings with the BOL within two weeks of the date they received it.

Following multiple informal requests for the report, BOL Chairman Michael Kaplowitz and Vice-Chairman James Maisano sought to facilitate the discussion on Playland’s future by sending a letter to the administration on March 24th, formally requesting that administration send the documents.

 

 

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